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Vitiligo - A natural treatment M. Salim, M.D. (M.A.) F.G.N.I. (England) D.O. (London) Consultant

Herbal Physician and Iridologist

What is Vitiligo? The term vitiligo is derived from the latin word "vitelius" meaning

"calf". It was first used by Roman physician Celsus in the second

century AD. The characteristic white patches of the disease

resembles the white patches of a spotted calf. Vitiligo is an

ancient disease mentioned in religious texts such as the Bible

and the Holy Koran. The disease is known as "Bai Dian Feng" intraditional Chinese medicine, "Shewetakusta" in Indian classic

Atharva Veda and "Kilas" in Vinay Pitah, Buddist sacred book,

"Bars" in Arabic and "Pulbheri" in Punjabi. Signs and Symptoms of Vitiligo 

• White patches may be different in size, shape and tend to

enlarge peripherally

• White patches may be localised general orsegmental

• In some individuals the hair in the affected area

may also lose its colour and become white

• White patches are very sensitive and

vulnerable to sunburn

• Vitiligo is not an infectious disease, although

some individuals or groups may inaccurately perceive it to

be infectious or contagious

• The physical presentation of vitiligo may beseen as disfigurement by individuals or groups which can

lead to social isolation and its consequences of

psychological dis-ease and turmoil

How Common is Vitiligo? The world incidence of vitiligo is between 1% and 8%. Vitiligo

seems more common within populations in which the contrast

in skin colour is readily apparent. It can affect any individual.

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Fifty percent of known cases appear before the age of 20. What Causes Vitiligo? The causes of vitiligo are shrowded in confusion and mystery,

especially within Western medicine. Lots of conflicting therapies

with very few safe and effective treatments. However, natural

traditions of medicine such as traditional Chinese medicine

(TCM) and Eastern traditional medicine (TIBB) are clear about

the causes of vitiligo and have safe and effective natural

treatments. These brief notes will discuss two safe, natural and

effective methods of treating vitiligo.

1. Foods

2. Herbs

The Digestive System and The Skin Because the skin forms the coating of the body we do not

normally associate it directly with the digestive processes. Yet if

we are to understand the true functions of the skin and return it

to its healthy state, then we need to understand that it isintimately associated with nutrition of the whole body, including

the skin and specifically in vitiligo. The quality and quantity of

blood and lymph is directly mediated by foods and drinks we

use and the state of our metabolism.

Metabolic Disturbance This is a concept not known in western medicine. In all human

societies, until industrialisation, great importance was placedon understanding and using foods and drinks to maintain

health and cure disease. However, due to industrialisation and

the removal of many people from natural environments, in

particular from farming, many people view food as having no

real relationship to health. This is particularly true of western

trained health care professionals. Natural medicine knows the

importance of good food and its role in keeping healthy. 

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The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said,

"The stomach is the home of disease, diet is the main

medicine". The Chinese people clearly saw this relationship when they

wrote,

"Whatsoever was the father of disease, an ill diet was the

mother". Hippocrates, who is sometimes called the 'Father of Medicine',

wrote,

"Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food". Ibne Sina, a great Arabian physician and scholar, wrote a

thousand years ago,

"Most illnesses arise solely from long continued errors of diet and

regimen". Inpairment of blood and lymph (fasad-ud-dam) and coldness

of blood (burudat-ud-dam) are the primary causes of vitiligo.

The transformative faculty (quwat-e-mushabbeha), the powerthat brings changes and shapes the nutrients into tissue proper

is faulty. It is due to this defect that depigmentation occurs. This

can be overcome by r emoving cold and damp-mucus forming

foods from the diet. Vitiligo & Diet Diet plays an important role in the treatment of Vitiligo. Cold

and phlegm producing foods are harmful in this disease. Notonly the response of the treatment is delayed but also the

lesions can spread if such foods are used frequently. Food items

which are restricted, and those recommended, are those given

below: Restricted Food Items - DO NOT USE a) Items which are likely to produce changes in the blood

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(Fasad-ud-dam) e.g.; fish, beef, brinjal, heavy and light food

mixed simultaneously. b) Items which are likely to increase the production of phlegm

(balgham) e.g.; Milk, curd, buttermilk, lemon & lime, tamarind,

oranges, and variety of all citrus fruits, red sorrel, parsley,

custard apple, guava, prunes, cashwnut, melon, watermelon,

Chinese dates, tomatoes, amla, Indian sorrel. Recommended Food Items - USE THESE Wheat, Indian millet, pulses, specially Bengal gram, pure gheeobtained from butter, broad beans, French beans, spinach,

bitter gourd, ridge gourd, onions, beet-root, carrot, chillies, red

pepper, pistachiounut, walnut, dates, mangoes, apricots,

grapes, potatoes, papaya, amaranth, fenugreek, drumsticks,

turnips, almonds. Stimulating metabolism 

Herbal Prescription:

• Glycyrrhiza glabra

• Ficus carica

• Foeniculum vulgare

• Foeniculum vulgare (root)

• Adiantum capillus-veneris

• Althaea officinalis (seeds)

• Malva sylvastris (seeds)

• Rosa damascena

• Vitis vinfera• Apium graneolens (root)

• Zingerbeer officinale

• Cassia angus tifolia (leaves)

• Operculina turpethum

Instuctions Take three grams of each ingredient of the above prescription

(Munzij Balgham), soak in 500mls of hot water at night, cover

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and leave overnight. In the morning make a decoction

(joshanda). Boil for 15 to 20 minutes and strain. Use luke warm

on empty stomach in the morning. Use for minimum of sevenand maximum of ninety days, depending on chronicity of

vitiligo. Contra indications

Do not use if irritable bowel symptoms.  © Copyright Mohsin Health Group. 2009